Let's Do It! Spring Practice No.13

I got over to coach Edsall's interview session, with a quite a few media, a little late because I was talking with Andre Dixon for a while which is always an experience because he's so real and stand up.Know what I mean by that? If you don't, you will.

Anyway, this was the final practice in pads before Spring Game, noon Saturday at Rentschler Field.As I was saying, I got over to Edsall a little late but he was talking about sugar again meaning he showered somebody with praise with one day but he couldn't do it the next.

Coach was entertaining today, folks.

"One of the things I've learned, some, a lot of these guys, you can't give them any sugar," he said. "You start to give them a little sugar...Kashif Moore got a little sugar after Saturday. He came out today and stunk the joint up. So it's tough to give any of these guys sugar because they get fat and happy."

RB Jordan Todman CB Dwayne Gratz and DE Marcus Campbell didn't get any sugar Tuesday - because they weren't at practice.

"We got some guys who still...I think he [Todman] lost his GPS and couldn't find his way to class. We had a couple more today who didn't do that so they missed out an opportunity and maybe somebody got ahead of them today."

- Now, this game on Saturday is going to help the coaches determine where players are going to be in terms of starters and reserves so come Saturday, don't take too much into what you see personnel-wise. I mean, you diehards will know who's likely going where but things will become clearer around this time next week in terms of a depth chart.- "We'll sit down after Saturday and all day on Monday, we'll sit down as a staff and determine where the people are and where they align. I'll meet with all the kids Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday and they'll know exactly where they stand. One of things I see right now is there's probably going to be a lot of "ORs" on the depth chart just because of the competition and what we've seen out here in the spring and based on maybe nobody having an upper edge in naming who a starter might be.- I know you guys have been asking about Dixon a lot. I know, I know. He's a fan favorite. As I said before I talked to him and length. Real dude. Anyway, I'm going to sit on that one until the end of the week if you don't mind. But here's Edsall on the running back situation as he sees it.- "However it ends up playing out, we're going to need a lot of them, we're going to need Jordan, we're going to need Andre, we're going to need Meme (Kelmetrus Wylie), we're going to need Robbie (Frey). We're going to need all those guys but they all have their own unique style.- You know, Edsall has been talking about the spring being his time to evaluate personnel more than anything else. That makes sense. Keep that in mind, too, if Zach Frazer or Cody Endres doesn't torch the defense for 300 yards apiece. Good luck against that nasty defense.- When Edsall talked about there being a lot of "ORs" on the depth chart I dropped one in about the quarterback situation and why he can't name one.- Remember I said the coach was entertaining today."I can... if I want to," he said laughing. "Well, we're not through with spring yet and who knows? I might name one come Monday or Tuesday and I might not. We're going to evaluate it. If I feel like we're ready to name a starting quarterback then we will if not we won't. It's no big rush. We don't play until Sept. 5."- So then I asked if he thought naming one soon would help the rest of the team align itself with one guy versus two. "I don't know. Might. But to me, it shouldn't matter to the team who the starting quarterback is. All that should matter is, whoever is lined up there everybody is going to play just as hard as they normally do. That's only one off 11 positions on offense but it's a very important position on offense and for your football team. But, when you name that position, then you're naming it and that's what you're going with. Then, you've got to be comfortable that that person is going to do the things that you want done. We'll just evaluate it after we get done on Saturday and have a lot of discussion about it on Monday."

- Toward the end of practice, after a big gain, CB Blidi Wreh-Wilson, perhaps upset he was beaten on the play, pushed WR Brad Kanuch in the back and sent him tumbling. Kanuch was assisted of the field by trainer Bob Howard complaining of an injured shoulder/collarbone.

- Edsall said he didn't know what the result of the injury was with Kanuch but he was not happy with Wreh-Wilson and said he would to look at how it unfolded on film but it looked the coach was already ready to lay in to the DB.

- DT Beau Brunelli (left knee cap) was helped off the field shortly before the injury to Kanuch.

- Big OT Jimmy Bennett (attending a funeral) won't be at the game either.

- Speaking of Bennett, LB Matt Ashmead got the better of him during their clash in the board drill. Ashmead was so dominating Edsall yelled "Go again!" They did. It was the last confrontation of the drill. Bennett won.

- A few backs were having a little difficulty keeping the heat off the quarterback - well for this drill a dummy) during a pass protection drill. FB Anthony Davis had no problem with the drill, except when he went against LB Scott Lutrus.

- Receivers coach Matt Cersosimo was working the corps well, specifically, a drill in which they were required to start bouncing on their feet when the ball is snapped, make moves past to defensive back to get open.

- "We've got some work to do here," Cersosimo said.

- TE Ryan Griffin can be special. He catches deep balls out here like its nothing. He's got to get stronger, though.

- Desi Cullen kicked a 56-yard field goal Tuesday. Edsall said he may be "the long guy."

- Robert McClain, Jasper Howard and Gary Wilburn are the three leading candidates to return punts. The choices so far, for kick return? Todman, Kanuch, Frey, McClain, Gratz and Kashif Moore.

- "And there will be some freshman coming in as well," Edsall said.

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1 Comments

First, I know a lot us diehards are naturally going to be disappointed not seeing Jimmy Bennett this Saturday. But, the kid is attending a funeral. Let's keep things in perspective and wish him and his family well.

Now, I don't ever remember this missing class deal being an issue in the past. Is this something we need to be concerned with, or is Edsall just cracking the whip a lot harder this year? I mean it seems every single practice a few guys are held out for missing a class. I don't remember this being a problem last year. Here's the question though....if this continues into the fall, does Edsall hold kids out of games? Are kids getting the message by missing a spring practice? I don't like continually hearing about this. Not good. But, Edsall seems to be genuine in his desire to not only turn out good football players, but good young men as well. And for that, we should be grateful.

Rumor has it Kanuch has a broken collerbone. If so, not sure what the exact timetable for a return would be, but I would think it'd be right around the end of summer, just in time for the season. But I'm not a doctor, nor do I intend to play one on this message board.

Dez came to Connecticut in 1991 and began covering high schools, then UConn football, the NFL, UConn basketball, Big East football, Big East basketball, national college football, national college basketball, the NBA. He has been a beat writer ... read more